Never mind the queues...fans soak up the atmosphere at city’s live music festival

Thousands of music fans flocked to Leeds this weekend to enjoy live music ranging from up-and-coming local acts to established stars from around the world.

Live at Leeds, now a firmly established part of the country’s musical calendar, saw the city’s venues throw open their doors on Saturday to revellers young and old, showcasing a broad range of music.

From giant venues such as the O2 Academy to smaller, more intimate destinations like the Brudenell Social Club, the array of options available to ticket-holders was considerable.

Large queues formed early on at Leeds City Museum where fans had to exchange their tickets for wristband passes which allowed them entrance to all participating venues.

Despite the lengthy wait, most people seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere as they planned their day ahead, in particular using the festival’s specially designed smart phone app.

The action really got started at the O2 Academy around 2.30pm with thousands pouring inside to see local heroes the Pigeon Detectives for an up-tempo crowd-pleasing set.

At Leeds Met, up-and-coming local band Happy Daggers impressed with their disco-tinged indie rock while electronica act Duologue set a more sombre tone at Leeds University’s Refectory venue with some dark and alluring sounds.

Predictably large queues began forming outside the venues from around teatime. Organisers did their best to keep fans abreast of where queues and capacity were lower via Twitter but some venues, notably The Cockpit, saw lengthy lines outside its doors throughout the day.

Sarah Graham, from Queensbury in Bradford, told the Yorkshire Post: “The queues were long but alright I guess. It’s a good atmosphere, I will definitely come again next year.”

Charlotte Borsos, from Bingley, said she would like to have seen some outdoor stages to allow her to enjoy the sunshine.

“It’s a shame it’s all inside but then again it could have been raining,” she added.

Other notable highlights came from hotly-tipped Post War Glamour Girls who impressed at Stylus and established heavy rock act Humanfly who drew a stunning response from those crammed into the Mine venue to watch them play.

The action continued yesterday when The Vaccines played to a huge crowd in Millennium Square.

The formula for the event has always been to showcase rising talent alongside more established acts and those appearing have included Mumford and Sons, Bombay Bicycle Club and Jake Bugg.